Celebrate Canada Reads 2019 with an event near you
If you're looking for a way to participate in Canada Reads, we've got you covered. Below is a roundup of community events taking place through March and April to discuss, celebrate and listen to the Canada Reads 2019 debates.
If there are any free, public events related to Canada Reads that you think we left out, let us know by emailing cbcbooks@cbc.ca.
Canada Reads 2019 will be hosted by Ali Hassan and takes place from March 25-28, 2019.
The debates will air on CBC Radio One at 11 a.m. (1 p.m. AT/1:30 p.m. NT), on CBC at 4 p.m. (4:30 NT), live streamed online at CBC Books at 11 a.m. ET and will be available on the free CBC Gem streaming service.
If you're in Toronto, you can get tickets to be part of the live studio audience. Otherwise, here are some ways to get involved in communities across the country.
British Columbia | Alberta | Manitoba | Ontario | Quebec | Nova Scotia | Newfoundland
British Columbia
Lindsay Wong appears in Kamloops, B.C.
Event: Lindsay Wong, author of The Woo-Woo, will be interviewed by CBC Kamloops host Shelley Joyce at a public event, recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio's Daybreak and North by Northwest. This event is organized in partnership with the Kamloops Society for the Written Arts and admission is free.
Location: The Sandman Signature Hotel, 225 Lorne St. Kamloops, B.C.
Date: March 14 at 7 p.m.
Canada Reads viewing party in Vanderhoof, B.C.
Event: The Vanderhoof Public Library will be showing all four days of book debate on the big screen for the public to come and view. All five Canada Reads finalists are also available to borrow from the library, and the viewing parties will be hosted by two volunteers who are avid Canada Reads followers.
Location: The Vanderhoof Public Library, 230 Stewart St E, Vanderhoof, B.C.
Date: March 25-28 at 2 p.m.
Canada Reads viewing party in Kimberley, B.C.
Event: Kimberley, B.C. bookstore Paper and Cup will be hosting a live viewing event for all four days of debate.
Location: Paper and Cup, 205 Spokane Street, Kimberley, B.C.
Date: March 25-28
Canada Reads viewing party in Langley, B.C.
Event: The City of Langley Library is running a four-day viewing party, where members of the public are invite to watch the debates and talk about them after the broadcast each day.
Location: City of Langley Library, 20399 Douglas Crescent, Langley, B.C.
Date: March 25-28
Alberta
Mock Canada Reads debate in St. Albert, Alta.
Event: Four the fourth year in a row, the St. Albert Public Library will stage a local version of the Canada Reads debates, with community members Jesse Lipscombe, Curtis LeBlanc, Celina Loyer, Matthew Stepanic and Stephan Womack defending the 2019 contenders before a live audience.
Location: St. Albert Public Library, 5 St. Anne Street, St. Albert, Alta.
Date: March 22, 7 p.m.
Manitoba
Max Eisen appears in Winnipeg, Man.
Event: Canada Reads contender and Holocaust survivor Max Eisen will be in Winnipeg to speak about his experience of surviving the Second World War, his book By Chance Alone and the dangers of hatred and discrimination in contemporary society.
Location: The Berney Theatre, 123 Doncaster Street, Winnipeg, Man.
Date: March 14 at 7 p.m.
Ontario
David Chariandy appears in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Event: David Chariandy, the author of Brother joins Colleen Peters, president of the Caribbean African Multicultural Association of Thunder Bay, in conversation with CBC Radio's Cathy Alex. Admission is free and excerpts from this event will be recorded for broadcast.
Location: Mary J.L. Black Public Library, 901 Edward St South, Thunder Bay, Ont.
Date: March 18 at 7 p.m.
Canada Reads competition in Brantford, Ont.
Event: The Brantford Public Library will stage a mock Canada Reads debate featuring this year's contenders, hosted by comedian and television writer Graham Chittenden. Local book lovers will have the opportunity to hear five community members champion the shortlisted books before voting for the title they believe should win.
Location: Brantford Public Library Main Branch, 173 Colborne Street, Brantford, Ont.
Date: March 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Canada Reads viewing party in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Event: The Sault Ste. Marie Public Library will be livestreaming the Canada Reads 2019 debates for fans of the show who prefer to tune in with company and are looking to discuss the great Canadian book debate with other book lovers.
Location: The debates will be streamed at both library locations: The James L. McIntyre Centennial Library, 50 East Street and the Korah Branch Library, 556 Goulais Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Date: March 25-28, 11 a.m.
Canada Reads listening parties in Ottawa, Ont.
Event: Various Ottawa Public Library Branches are hosting Canada Reads 2019 listening parties each morning to share in the excitement. Participants can vote for their pick for the winning title and enter a contest for a chance to win a set of this year's contenders.
Location: Beaverbrook Branch, 2500 Campeau Dr, Kanata, Ont.; Main Branch, 120 Metcalfe St, Ottawa, Ont.; Sunnyside Branch, 1049 Bank St, Ottawa, Ont.; Manotick Branch, 5499 S River Dr, Manotick, Ont.
Date: March 25-28, 11 a.m.
Quebec
'Canada Reads and so does Lennoxville'
Event: At this pre-Canada Reads event, five book enthusiasts from Lennoxville, Que. take to the local stage to champion the 2019 title they each feel is the one book to move you.
Location: Amédée-Beaudoin Community Centre, 10 Rue Samuel-Gratham, Sherbrooke, Que.
Date: March 20, 7 p.m.
Canada Reads viewing party in Baie-D'Urfé, Que.
Event: The Baie-D'Urfé Library will be live-streaming the debates. Organizers will be serving light refreshments and facilitating a lively discussion of the battle of the books.
Location: The Baie-D'Urfé Library, 20551 Lakeshore, Baie-D'Urfé, Que.
Date: March 25-28 at 11 a.m.
Canada Reads competition in Kirkland, Que.
Event: The Kirkland Municipal Library's Hooked On Books book club will stage its own Canada Reads competition between the five 2019 contenders, featuring local community members as champions for the shortlisted books.
Location: The Kirkland Municipal Library, 17100 Blvd Hymus, Kirkland, Que.
Date: April 17 at 2 p.m.
Nova Scotia
Canada Reads listening party in Lunenburg, N.S.
Event: Come to the Lunenburg Library to hear this year's Canada Reads arguments and find out which title will win.
Location: Lunenburg Library, 97 Kaulbach St, Lunenburg, N.S.
Date: March 25-28 at 12 p.m.
Newfoundland
Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung appear in Corner Brook, N.L.
Event: Hosted in partnership with the local Association of New Canadians, CBC Newfoundland welcomes Homes co-authors Abu Bakr al Rabeeah and Winnie Yeung for a conversation with Newfoundland Morning host Bernice Hillier about building a sense of home as a newcomer to this country.
Location: Corner Brook Public Library, 4 West St, Corner Brook, N.L.
Date: March 20 at 7 p.m.